


Crawling in My Skin

by SilenceIsGolden15



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo 2k18 [24]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Autistic Keith (Voltron), Bad Things Happen Bingo, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Just the tiniest hints of it, Non-Consensual Touching, Prompt: Grabbed by the Chin, Protective Lance (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Restraints
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 16:34:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16643774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceIsGolden15/pseuds/SilenceIsGolden15
Summary: Didn't anyone ever teach space pirates to keep their hands to themselves?





	Crawling in My Skin

**Author's Note:**

> One day I will write a fic that doesn't make a reference to an emo song.  
> But it is not this day.

The worst thing about being a defender of the universe, Shiro had decided, was the other people that weren’t innocent civilians or Empire soldiers. A great deal of those types of people didn’t actually care about the war-- they were just trying to make a quick buck. On top of their uncaring demeanor, they also always managed to show up at absolutely the worst possible time. 

Like right now. Snatched up by a veritable army of space pirates who couldn’t give a rat’s ass that they just captured the Paladins of Voltron. They didn’t see people trying to make the universe better, all they saw were dollar signs. Or GAC signs. Or whatever the hell currency these guys dealt in.

The alien pacing in front of them may as well have been a Galra anyway, all hulking purple muscle. The only difference was the eyes that glowed green instead of gold, and the wicked maw of serrated teeth. They’d all had their helmets removed and their bayards taken (Shiro with an inhibitor band wrapped around his arm) and were bound on their knees, elbows pulled back and draped over a bar behind them with their wrists bound as well. A stress position he was all too familiar with but had to be painful for Pidge, who had her arms yanked up much further than the rest of them thanks to her height.

“So much merchandise, so little time,” brooded their captor in an impossibly deep voice, earning himself a venomous glare from Shiro. “Where shall I sell you all?”

Lance sneered and opened his mouth before noticing how Shiro shook his head at him. Things weren’t too awful right now, the last thing they needed was to piss this guy off and make it worse, and therefore more difficult to get away. He’d learned silent compliance was best until an opportunity revealed itself. 

Then the alien stopped in front of Keith and Shiro immediately forgot all of his own advice. 

“Hey! Don’t--”

The alien tapped a button on his belt and Shiro’s teeth slammed shut at the electric current that ran through the bar. All five of them tensed and let out muffled cries of pain at the shock-- an extra way to keep them in line. Punish all of them for the actions of one. 

The others all sagged the moment the electricity turned off, but Shiro fought to keep himself as upright as he could. He was the leader, he had to portray strength. Even as his heart began to race at the look the pirate was wearing as he loomed over Keith. 

Slowly he knelt down. Keith maintained eye contact, that familiar snarl plastered over his lips, unmoving even when the alien chuckled at him. 

“You’re a pretty one, aren’t you,” he purred, making Shiro’s stomach twist, and then he reached out and grasped Keith’s face firmly by the chin in his clawed hand. Shiro didn’t need to look to know the rest of the team would be making the same expression of horror as he was as he watched Keith’s pupils shrink to pinpricks and his breath pick up.

They all knew how Keith felt about being touched. Some days even Shiro wasn’t allowed into his personal bubble. And now here was this stranger, this enemy, putting his hands on him. Rage was already warming his blood as the alien turned Keith’s head to one side, then the other, then squeezed his jaw open and peered in at his teeth. 

Keith’s cheeks were bright red with humiliation. 

The pirate relaxed his grip and let Keith close his mouth, but didn’t let go of him as he stared consideringly. Just barely Shiro could make out how his thumb dragged over Keith’s cheekbone. 

“Yes, you might be worth the trip to one of the pleasure barges.”

Shiro’s throat constricted. A million different protests sprang forward, all crowded against each other in the fight to get out, but Lance beat him to it by openly scoffing and attracting the pirate’s attention. 

“Who, mullet? Come on. Why bother with him when  _ I’m  _ right here?” He followed it up with a cocky smirk, but Shiro saw right through it. It wasn’t an insult, or a brag. Lance was scared. But he was doing it to get the alien’s attention off of Keith. 

He never thought he’d say this, but thank God for Lance. 

The pirate tilted his head, and with an expression of amusement, let go of Keith and stepped back. Keith immediately dropped his chin to his chest plate, his back shuddering with his breath, and Shiro wanted nothing more at that moment to comfort him but the alien was advancing on Lance now and he had to keep watch over his whole team. 

The alien did the same to Lance that he had to Keith: grasping his face and doing the same inspection. Lance’s eyes burned like blue fire the entire time, refusing to be cowed, and with a huff of a laugh the man backed off again. 

“You have a point. You can go with him.”

Lance gulped and dropped his eyes to the floor as the man’s gaze moved on to Pidge. She gave him a fierce glare and bared her teeth, daring him to get close, but he didn’t even kneel down this time. 

“I’ve heard stories about you,” he said with a playful smile, “You’re supposed to be the smart one. Maybe one of the research camps will take you.”

Pidge snarled, but wary of the button on his belt, said nothing. He advanced to Hunk, who flinched and looked away, but thankfully he almost seemed bored with the Yellow Paladin. 

“Big enough. A normal labor camp would pay alright for you.”

Then he turned back to Shiro and he straightened as far as the bindings would allow. Breathing deeply and evenly, he imagined dismembering the alien in as much gory detail as he could. 

“And as for you,” he prodded at Shiro’s knee with a booted foot, “I’m sure Zarkon will pay handsomely for the return of his Champion.”

Out of the corners of his eyes Shiro examined the team. Pidge and Lance looked pissed. Hunk was scared. All to be expected. But Keith was still shuddering, scraping his cheek against his shoulder to try and get the man’s touch off of him. Shiro’s heart hurt. 

“Better get comfortable,” the man mocked as he turned back towards the door. “You’re in for a long ride.”

The moment the door slid shut behind them they all let out relieved breaths and sagged in their bindings, and for a minute or two there was tense silence in the room. Then Shiro pulled himself together. 

“Alright team. Any ideas?”

Pidge wriggled a bit and frowned. “I can’t reach my gauntlet, so hacking is out of the question.”

“I’ve been trying to wiggle out of these things this whole time,” said Lance miserably. “No dice.”

Hunk leaned his weight forward on his elbows and tried to pull the bar free of the wall, but he didn’t have enough leverage in this position, and after a few minutes of struggling gave Shiro a disappointed shake of his head. 

Shiro glanced at Keith, but immediately determined he wasn’t in any shape to be assisting with the escape. He was holding too still, staring at the floor and shuddering. He  _ really _ didn’t like being touched, and Shiro could almost see the bad memories swallowing him up. Maybe if Red picked up on his distress then they could do something, but there was no guarantee--

Wait. That might be an idea.

“Guys, remember how we’ve been practicing communicating with our Lions?”

The other three nodded. Pidge had a twinkle in her eye that said she was picking up on his plan. 

“Ok, let’s all do the same thing we do on the training deck and try to call for them. Even if only one of them comes we’ll have a chance.”

Pidge immediately bowed her head and closed her eyes, brow furrowing as she concentrated on calling for Green. Hunk and Lance copied her, Hunk wearing a worried frown and Lance’s lips moving as he whispered words to help him focus. Shiro observed for only a moment before following suit.

Black was far away, their connection stretched taut. With how rocky their relationship had been he almost didn’t expect her to come, but he stubbornly pushed the thought away. He had to have faith and trust in his Lion. 

She responded with a lazy brush, probably thinking that it was another training exercise, until she felt Shiro’s tension and barely restrained panic and their bond sharpened like supernovas. 

_ Help,  _ he thought,  _ please.  _

Stars twinkled behind his eyes. 

_ I’m coming, Paladin.  _

His next breath was a sigh of relief. “Black’s coming.”

“I got through to Green,” said Pidge with a small smile.

“Blue’s coming too.”

“And Yellow.”

“Good job guys. Hopefully when all the Lions take off Allura will get the hint and follow them.”

He shot another look over at Keith. Hopefully it wasn’t just wishful thinking, but he seemed to be doing a little better. His breathing was slower, at any rate, and he’d stopped trying to rub off his skin. Still, the sooner the Lions got here the better. 

It didn’t take long. Shiro estimated about ten minutes before the ship they were on was rocking violently underneath them and Black was singing in his head, and three minutes after that the Princess was busting through the door into their cell, dressed in her battle suit and armed with a staff. 

“Paladins!” She exclaimed, already rushing over to rend apart Shiro’s bindings with her Altean strength. “Captured by  _ space pirates,  _ of  _ all things,  _ really--” She finished with Shiro and moved on to Pidge, who was already arguing back at her.

“Come on Allura, there was like forty of them and only five of us!”

The conversation continued in the background, but Shiro blocked it out in favor of giving Keith his full attention as he moved to get him free. The moment he touched him, however, Keith made an unhappy sound in the back of his throat and flinched away. 

“Hey,” Shiro murmured to him, pitching his voice low and soothing, “It’s ok. I’m just gonna take these off and then I’ll stop touching you, alright? I promise.”

Keith’s only answer was a whimper and the further hunch of his shoulders, but Shiro really didn't have a choice. The binds had to come off. So as quickly as he could and murmuring apologies the whole time, he untied the ropes around his wrists and ankles and stepped back to give him room to pull away from the bar. 

“Shiro? Is Keith injured?”

He glanced over his shoulder at Allura. The rest of the team had gotten themselves untied and were bustling around the room in search of their helmets and bayards while he’d been handling Keith. 

“No, he just needs a second.”

Allura frowned. “Alright, but don't take too long. The sooner we get off this ship the better.”

Shiro gave an understanding nod and turned back to Keith, who was staggering to his feet. He was still pale and his eyes were a little wild, but the look he was giving Shiro was steady and his fists were clenched at his sides. 

“You good to get home?”

Keith didn’t speak, but did give a determined nod. 

“Alright team, let’s get moving.” 

* * *

The moment they returned to the Castle Keith retreated to his bedroom, probably to wrap himself up in every blanket he could find and hide for a little while. Not a single one of them said anything, not even Lance. 

He would probably be ok by the next morning. Maybe a little quiet, and Shiro would probably have to talk to him and reassure him that he wasn’t wrong for reacting the way he did, but in a couple of days the whole thing would blow over and Keith would be fine. 

In the interim Shiro found time to thank Lance for how he’d diverted the alien’s attention, to which Lance responded with flushed cheeks and an insistence that it was no problem whatsoever. 

Shiro still hated space pirates. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I also have a ko-fi now, which you can find linked on my blog arwenride.tumblr.com. If you like the Platonic Shit consider fueling my caffeine addiction. Major thanks to haleykim84 for already donating!


End file.
